How the Pentagon Plans to Keep Bases Running for 90 Days

What is the Pentagon’s 90-day survival plan?

The plan is part of FORTRESS, an initiative intended to make major U.S. military bases able to keep operating for at least 90 days without civilian power or supply chains ¹. In this context, resilience means being able to continue essential work when normal services are interrupted.

The requirement is described as applying to every major U.S. military base, but the sources do not define what counts as a major base or identify the specific facilities involved ¹.

Why does the Pentagon want bases to operate without civilian support?

Military bases depend on systems beyond their gates. The FORTRESS rationale, as reported by Fox News, is that a major war could disrupt power grids, supply chains and other critical infrastructure, including on U.S. soil ¹.

The aim is to reduce the risk that such disruption would stop military operations. The source quotes Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell saying the department does not want national defense to depend on standard civilian municipal infrastructure ¹.

What does FORTRESS focus on first?

Energy resilience is an early focus. Air & Space Forces Magazine reports that the Pentagon is starting its FORTRESS America effort there and notes that the Air Force has invested heavily in energy resilience ².

The sources do not detail the specific energy systems planned for bases, how much they may cost, or when they would be ready. Fox News also reports that the Pentagon is laying groundwork for civilian factories to shift to defense production, but provides no further detail in the supplied material ¹.

Is FORTRESS the same as government continuity planning?

Not exactly, based on the information available. A separate federal continuity framework, known as Continuity of Operations, is described as a government initiative to help agencies keep essential functions going in a broad range of circumstances ³.

That source says federal continuity planning is governed by Presidential Policy Directive 40 and includes requirements for executive-branch departments and agencies ³. The available reporting does not explain how FORTRESS relates to that framework, so they should not be treated as identical plans.

What is still unknown about the 90-day target?

The reporting establishes the stated target, but not the operating details. It does not say which services must continue during the 90 days, how readiness will be tested, or what supplies and backup systems each base would need.

Nor do the supplied sources provide a full timetable, budget or implementation plan. The 90-day figure is therefore best understood as a reported requirement, not proof that every major base can already operate independently for that long ¹.